Shoulder-pad.



No. 640,l24. Patented Dec. 26, I899. E. F. GADDIS.

SHOULDER PAD.

(Application filed. June 13, 1899.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE,

EUGENE FRANKLIN GADDIS, OF FLORA, MISSISSIPPI.

SHOULDER-PAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 640,124, dated December 26, 1899. Application filed June 13, 1899. Serial No 720,371. No model.)

T0 at whono it may concern.-

Be it known that LEUGENE FRANKLIN GAD- DIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flora, in the county of Madison, State of Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shoulder-Pads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a f ull,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in shoulder-pads, and has for its object to provide a cheap, light, and effective device which is readily adjustable to the shoulders of any personman, Woman, or child-and is entirely separate from any garment with which it may be Worn.

My invention consists in the novel devices hereinafter described and claimed, and will be clearly understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same parts are indicated by the same letters throughout the several views.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a pair of shoulder-pads constructed according to my invention. Fig. 2 is a rear view of such pads in use, showing the manner of attaching same; and Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a slightly-modified form of pad.

A A represent the pads proper, made of the appropriate form and constructed of a webbing of a moderately stiff, but flexible, material-such as woven wire, horsehair, or the like suitable material. The material of the pad is doubled over upon itself, and at one side (that portion of the pad which is nearest the neck when in use) the edges of the material are laid upon each other and secured by a suitable binding, as "seen at a, while at the opposite side of the pad-that is, the outer portion thereof-the material thereof is folded in one, two, three, or more small wave-like folds, as seen at a in Fig. 1 or at a and a in Fig. 3. These small wavelike folds of whatever number are so made as to leave spaces at the outer side of the pad, as seen at a ,in Fig. 1 and at a and a in Fig. 3, the said spaces contracting toward the inner edge of the pad to give the desired wedge shape thereto.

Thematerial of the pad allows of some oompressibility, so that the pad may be shaped to the shoulder of the person as desired, and the whole pad is given a concavo-convex form to conform to the general outline of the shoulders, as shown in the drawings.

The folds become flatter from the central portion of the pad toward the front and rear thereof, where the edges of the pad are thin by the material being laid in contacting layers and are secured by bindings a and a of some suitable flexible material or fabric.

Besides the compressibility of the pad the small wave like folds inclosed within the larger fold to allow of the latter being easily distended when desired without distorting the fabric,which would be impracticable were such small folds absent.

One of the pads has attached to its inner edge a flexible strap B, provided with a buckle b, while the other pad is provided similarly with a strap B to engage said buckle, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. This strap may be of any suitable flexible material,which may be either elastic or non-elastic, as preferred.

Each of the pads is provided with a band or cord 0, having its ends attached to the front and rear edges, respectively, of the said pad, for passing around the shoulder beneath the armpits, as seen in Fig. 2. This band or cord 0 may be of rubber elastic, and the arm may be passed therethrough in applying the pad, or it may be either an elastic or non-elastic strap provided with a fastening device, (not shown,) as preferred.

The pad is to be worn between the inner garment and the outer garment or garments of the person, so as to be hidden from view, and may be put on after the manner of a jacket or waistcoat by slipping the hands and arms through the bands 0, while the two pads are fastened together by means of the straps B and'B, and after adjusting the pads to their proper positions the straps B and B may be adjusted to correspond.

My improved shoulder-pads have many advantages, among which is the advantage that they may be applied to the shoulders of any person with any sort of an outer body-garment where it is desired to improve the ap pearance and fit thereof, thus rendering it possible to produce an effect in a ready-made or ill-fittin g garment without alteration there= of hitherto unknown and, further, rendering it an easy matter for a person having sloping shoulders to present'the effect of square shoulders; but the principal advantage of my construction is the efiect of the small wave-like folds inclosed within the larger fold and which allow of the distention or compression of the pad at will.

The construction of my pad renders it cheap and durable and so light and cool as to produce no discomfort to the wearer even in warm weather.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. As an article of manufacture, a sho ulderpad composed of a stiff flexible Woven material folded upon itself in one large fold and one or more small wave-like folds lying within the large fold, the edges of the material being bound together in contact, but the portion of the material in the region of said folds being spaced so as to be compressible, substantially as described.

2. As an article of manufacture, a pad composed of a stiff flexible sheet of woven material provided with one or more small wavelike folds inclosed within a larger fold, the edges of the fabric being permanently bound together at the edges of the large fold and at the ends of the small folds, substantially as described.

EUGENE FRANKLIN GADDIS.

Witnesses:

F. J. J recurs, CHARLIE LAWRENCE I-IIN'roN. 

